The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-02-12
DOWN To DEATH.
Frightful Leap of a Railway Train
From a Bridge.
a Hundred Passengers Carried Down n
Distance of Sixty Feet, More Than Half
OF Whom Were Either XIII
or Roasted to Death,


one o'clock this morning at Woodstock,
VI, about two miles north of this place.
The express which left Springfield, Mass,
at nine o'clock last night, bound for
Montreal, when near Woodstock ran of
the bridge at that place and two sleepers
and two passenger coaches full of passen-
gers fell through the bridge distance of
sixty feet The cars and bridge at once
caught fire, the latter being entirely con-
sumed. The exact number of killed and
wounded has not been learned. Some
place the number at sixteen killed, while
others say thirty or forty lost their lives,
and that large number were injured
Among those killed is Frank Wesson,
the son of D. b. Wesson, of Springfield,
Mass, Of the firm of Smith u Wesson,
the tre-arm manufacturers. Conductor
Sturtevant of the Inflated train was so
badly burned that it is thought that he
will die.
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt, Feb. 81
Charles M. Hosmer, of Lowell, book
keeper for Otis, Allen & Son, makes the
following statement:
81 took the train at Lowell; was IN a
Central Vermont sleeper | remember
twenty-one others including five ladies in
the car, but knew none of them personal
ly. Several were going to Montreal.
was awakened out of sleep and the first
knew was the humping Of the cars. got
on my knees and the car began to sway
with sickening motion. Then came the
crash and at first all was darkness and con.
fusion, | don't remember that there was
any screams, but there were means and
calls for help. l found myself pinned
down by seat but | broke window and
somehow or other worked myself out Of
the car onto the ice. l should think the
car dropped 1ifty-fve feet The other
three cars were also on the ice, they hav-
ing broken away from the forward part of
the train. My clothing, except two shirts
and socks, was torn from me in getting
out l lost everything else. A man who
occupied berth next to me was
struggling amidst the ruins. He
asked me to help him, and /
finally succeeded in extricating him
There was lady in the ruins whom we
saved, but she was naked when we took
her from the car. She said she could never
have been taken out if she had kept her
clothing on. think was the first person
who got out. Mr.. Hutchins, of Baintree,
who took the train at Concord, escaped,
and assisted in saving others. The lady
we rescued proved to be Mrs. Dryden, of
Montreal. worked until was so chilled
that could do nothing more"
"a few minutes after the crash the cars
took fire and the flames leaped up TO the
bridge and illumined the valley for long
distance. Those who were unable to es
cape, were soon in the embrace of death.
can not now realize the terrible specta-
Gle of the last scene. When the flames
burst out could see imprisoned passen-
gers, either calling for help or insensible
but there was no power to save them.
walked, or rather crawled to house,
where l got some clothing. Our car was
the second of the seepers. Out OF the
twenty-five in my car, l personally know
that nine at least were saved. Mrs
Dryden was seriously injured in the back
| saw two of those in my car in the flames
remember Montreal trapper who had
been with his club in Boston. lie was
saved, but his lady companion war LOST
A Mr.. Morse of Springfield, Mass, is
among the injured at the junction house
A Mr. Mott, a hay dealer from New York
State, is also at the junction house. He
will probably recover.
WAS FORCED TO LEAVE HIS COMPANION TO
PERISH.
CoNCoRD, N. H., Feb. 5-An occupant OF
the Boston sleeper whose name could moi
be asccrtained, passed through here this
afternoon. He said that every berth was
occupied. He was awakened by the jolt
ing of the car, which presently wen;
over the abutment and, turning over
in its descent, struck the ice on It's
roof, which was crushed in. ThC
narrator, who occupied lower berth, ex'
tricated himself with difficulty, and a
once set to work to relieve a Boston gen
tleman, who occupied an upper berth. HI
worked with energy, but was driven away
by the flames, and became an involuntary
witness to the death of his companion, VIII
was burned before his eyes.
He saw quite number Of persons res
sued with severe burns. But few bodie
had been taken out when he left. AT tina
time it was impossible to ascertain tn
number of victims. He expressed the be
lief that not more than thirty were killed
Ira Chase, of Bristol, who went to tn
wreck on the special from White Rive
Junction, says that the Boston sleepe
pilgrim" and the Springfield sleepe
"St Adams" turned bottom up in the fall
Twenty-six persons, Us far as known, wer
taken out alive. Two of these are under
stood to be Mr.. Wesson, of Springfield
and Ed Brooklebanks, who died soon after
| Mr.. Chase makes the total number II
the wrecked express about eighty, and tn
r number dead between fifty and sixty. L
most cases death probably resulted iron
burning rather than drowning. Severa
were penned into the wreck who nigh
have been rescued but for the flames
At the point where the train ran owe
the abutment the gorge is frighttul on
and the cars went down with terribl
! crash. The screams of the injured wer
3 heartrending Assistance speedily cam
e from the trainmen and neighboring farr
houses, and every thing possible was don
= to relieve the victims.
q The first coach soon caught fire, and
? a few moments the entire train wa
ablaze. Those present were powerless
stop the fire, and the heat became so il
tense that they were obliged 20 relinq uis
i their efforts to save the suffering, an
q were compelled TO retreat to a place {
: safety for themselves and become unwil
ing and horror-stricken witnesses of II